TruthOut10
Active Member
- Dec 3, 2012
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The only reason that the damaging sequester cuts exist is because Republicans took the entire economy hostage in 2011. Thats it. Period. End of Story.
Now that these painful, indiscriminate cuts are just three days away, Republicans, who by the way voted for the cuts en masse, are trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the economic havoc and suffering that will ensue if they allow the cuts to go into effect. Unfortunately, claiming that they are not responsible for the cuts isnt the only myth the GOP is perpetuating.
Heres the top five GOP myths about the sequester and why nearly everything the Republicans are saying about it is wrong:
1. We need spending cuts to get the economy going. The GOP claims that government spending is out of control and reason that reducing spending would spur greater economic growth. But government expenditures have grown at its slowest pace since the Eisenhower administration under President Obama and the latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nations deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Austerity measures have dragged down economic growth in Europe and some economists argue that sequestration wont actually lead to substantial shrinking of the deficit, since fiscal contraction caused by sequestration is likely to slow economic growth, reducing tax revenue and preventing meaningful deficit reduction.
2. Agencies need more flexibility to avoid cuts in crucial services. After backing sequestration mechanism the harmful cuts that were designed to force lawmakers to reach a comprehensive deal to reduce the deficit with additional revenue and spending reductions Republicans are now considering legislation that would leave Obama and federal agencies with the responsibility of carving out waste and unnecessary spending while preserving critical government services. In reality, the problem isnt one of authority. Programs will see their budgets cut by anywhere between 2 and 10 percent and most will be unable to salvage services and only target inefficiencies. The Republican replacement is just another effort to implement spending reductions without increasing revenues and blame Obama for the consequences.
Wrong | ThinkProgress
Now that these painful, indiscriminate cuts are just three days away, Republicans, who by the way voted for the cuts en masse, are trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the economic havoc and suffering that will ensue if they allow the cuts to go into effect. Unfortunately, claiming that they are not responsible for the cuts isnt the only myth the GOP is perpetuating.
Heres the top five GOP myths about the sequester and why nearly everything the Republicans are saying about it is wrong:
1. We need spending cuts to get the economy going. The GOP claims that government spending is out of control and reason that reducing spending would spur greater economic growth. But government expenditures have grown at its slowest pace since the Eisenhower administration under President Obama and the latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nations deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Austerity measures have dragged down economic growth in Europe and some economists argue that sequestration wont actually lead to substantial shrinking of the deficit, since fiscal contraction caused by sequestration is likely to slow economic growth, reducing tax revenue and preventing meaningful deficit reduction.
2. Agencies need more flexibility to avoid cuts in crucial services. After backing sequestration mechanism the harmful cuts that were designed to force lawmakers to reach a comprehensive deal to reduce the deficit with additional revenue and spending reductions Republicans are now considering legislation that would leave Obama and federal agencies with the responsibility of carving out waste and unnecessary spending while preserving critical government services. In reality, the problem isnt one of authority. Programs will see their budgets cut by anywhere between 2 and 10 percent and most will be unable to salvage services and only target inefficiencies. The Republican replacement is just another effort to implement spending reductions without increasing revenues and blame Obama for the consequences.
Wrong | ThinkProgress
